Lionsgate Taps Lawrence Szabo As EVP North America TV Sales

Lionsgate has hired Lawrence Szabo to be its EVP North America Television Sales, continuing the revamp of the company’s worldwide TV group that began in February when it hired Jim Packer to run TV distribution and digital operations at its Santa Monica-based headquarters. The move reunites Packer and Szabo, who worked together at MGM. Szabo, an 18-year MGM veteran who most recently was SVP MGM Worldwide Television Group, will now oversee sales of Lionsgate’s TV content across all platforms in the U.S. and all new television content to digital and traditional media platforms in Canada, as well as coordinate with Alliance Films on distribution of the studio’s filmed entertainment library in Canada. “I have known Lawrence for many years, and he is ideally qualified to help lead Lionsgate’s worldwide television distribution initiatives as our TV and feature film brands continue to drive our growth throughout North America and around the world,” said Packer, to whom Szabo will report. Packer also said as part of today’s announcement that recently promoted EVP Business and Legal Affairs David Nonaka has assumed full-time legal oversight of worldwide TV licensing and Kate Nexon and Bruce Field have been promoted to key positions within the digital operations group.